Timeline of Major Florida Freezes

1835

The *impact freeze that occurred on February 2-9 brought the lowest temperatures that had ever been recorded in north and central Florida. This freeze is considered an *impact freeze because it ended attempts to commercially grow citrus in South Georgia, southeast South Carolina and in the northern part of Florida.

1894-1895

The close proximity of the freezes of 1894 and 1895 created an *impact freeze situation that devastated citrus growers and rearranged the geography of the Florida citrus industry. The first freeze occurred on December 29-30, 1894. Immediately after, Florida experienced a month of warm weather, which made citrus more vulnerable for the second freeze on February 8-9, 1895.

1899

The freeze on February 13-14 was one of the most severe in the history of the state and was a *near-impact freeze. This freeze was unfortunate because it wiped out all of the hard work of growers since the freeze of 1895.

1917

This freeze occurred on February 2-6 and was the most serious freeze between 1899 and 1934.

1934

This freeze hit Florida on December 12-13. It was so severe that it led to the creation of the Federal-State Frost Warning Service.

1940

January of 1940 is the coldest month on record in Florida history, with a mean temperature of 49.7 degrees Fahrenheit. The freeze occurred at the end of the month on January 27-29, delivering the coldest temperatures growers had seen since 1899. Fortunately, the Frost Warning Service predicted this freeze well in advance.

1957

The 1957 freeze occurred near the end of the year on December 12-13 and was the most severe to hit the state since 1940.

1962

This freeze hit exactly five years (to the day) after the freeze of 1957. The freezing temperatures arrived in Florida on December 12-13, creating the third *impact freeze in the state of Florida. It was considered an *impact freeze because it caused the most damage to trees and fruit of any other 20th century freeze to date.

1977

This freeze occurred on January 18-20 and is comparable to the 1962 freeze. This freeze created the rare conditions in Florida for snow to stick to the ground. The freeze of 1977 also reinforced and accelerated grower movement south.

1981

Hard freezing temperatures arrived in Florida on January 12-14. This freeze was comparable to the freeze of 1977.

1983

This freeze was more severe than the 1977 and 1981 freezes. It occurred on December 24-25 and was so detrimental because the Frost Warning Service missed the forecast. By the time growers knew about the freeze, much of the damage was already done.

1985

The freeze of 1985 occurred on January 20-22. It was a hard freeze; however, its effects were felt so severely because growers had not yet recovered from the 1983 freeze. The combined effects of the freezes of 1983 and 1985 added up to an *impact freeze situation.

1989

This freeze occurred on December 22-26. This freeze was the fifth *impact freeze recorded in Florida history, however it was the second *impact freeze in a single decade, leaving growers little time to recover after the freezes of 1983 and 1985.

*Impact Freeze: a freeze so severe that it annihilates entire groves across the state, killing both mature and young citrus trees, while causing a profound economic impact on the citrus industry and usually prompting growers to replant farther south.